Reversible windmill



eh. u. w25. r mams? C. WATSCN REVERS IBLE WINDMILL Filed Nov. 5, 1923 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY Feb. m. w25. y 1,527,097

C. WATSON 1 REVERS I BLE WINDMILL 2 sheets-sheet 2 nl v INVENTOR zw-dMaison,

A ORNEY WITNESSES TT Patented Feb. 17, 1925.

CLAUDE WATSON', 0F DANVILLE, ILLINOIS.

REVERSIBLE WINDMELL.

Application filed November 5, 1923.

To @ZZ whom it may concer/a:

Be it known that l, CLAUDE lVnTsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois,have invented new and useful Improvements in Reversible 1Windmills, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to power devices, particularly to windmills orwindwheels and has for its object the provision of a novel windwheelprovided with rudder controlled cam means for feathering the blades asthey are moved into the eye of the wind.

An important object is the provision of a device of this character inwhich the blade moving mechanism is entirely automatic in action so thatthe device will operate without any necessity for attention oradjustment.

An additional object is the provision of a structure of this characterwhich will be simple and inexpensive in manufacture, highly eiiicient inuse, durable in service and a general improvement in the art.

lVith the above and other objects and advantages in view the inventionconsists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a windwheel constructed in accordance with myinvention,

Figure 2 is a cross section therethrough,

Figure 3 is a detail section on the line of Figure 2,

The remaining two figures are detail views,

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 10 designates aportion of a stationary supportwhich might be a tower or other similarstructure. rlhis stationary support is provided wit-h a circular opening11 surrounded by an upstanding enlargement 12 formed with a racecontaining a plurality of bearing balls 13. Rotatable upon this supportis the windwheel which is disposed-in a horizontal plane and whichincludes a hub 14 having a shoulder 15 formed with a race receiving theballs 13. This hub further includes a reduced extension 16 which passesdownwardly through the hole 11. The head is prevented from displacementbwith respect to the support by a nut 17 which is screwed onto theprojecting Serial No. 672,984.

lower end of the extension 16, which nut engages beneath the top portionof the support 10. The intermediate portion of the hub is reduced at 18and the upper end is formed 00 with a race containing bearing balls 19.Formed at the intermediate portion of the hub .is a cam track 20 formedas shown more clearly in Figure 3.

The head further includes a circular body 21 which rests upon the balls19 and which is formed with a suitable race receiving the same At itscenter the body 21 is formed with a bore 22 which extends downwardlythrough the hub 1st and 1G and held in place by a nut 23 screwed uponits lower end and engaging within a chamber in the hub. rlhe centralextension 22 has a bore Q5 within which may be secured a shaft to berotated.

Suitably connected with the hub is an arm 26 which carries a rudder 27which is acted upon by the wind and which will cause the hub to berotated.

rl`he body member 21 is formed with two series of outer and innerbearings 28 through which are ournaled shafts 29 carrying blades 30. Attheir inner ends these shafts carry cams 31 which co-operate with thesides of the track 2O so that at a certa-in point the blades will beshifted from their normal or vertical position to a horizontal positionfor feathering when moving against the wind.

In the operation it is of course apparent that the rudder 27 will alwaysmove the hub so that the cam track 20 thereon will be in the properposition to feather the blades when they have moved to a positionopposite the direction of the wind and to maintain these blades in suchfeathered position until they reach the point where the wind may againimpinge them for rotating the wheel. rThe action is entirely automaticregardless of the direction from which the wind is blowing as the ruddertakes care of this detail.

lVhile 1 have shown and described the preferred embodinient of myinvention it is of course to be understood that 1 reserve the right tomake such changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts aswill not depart fromI the spirit of the invention or the scope of thesubjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. In a windwheel, a stationary support,

a hub rotatably mounted and formed With a cam groove, a rudder carriedby said hub, a Wheel body journally mounted on the hub, a plurality or'shafts journaled through the Wheel body and provided With blades attheir outer ends, and cams on the inner ends of said shafts movablealong the @am groove whereby the blades Will be shifted Afrom verticalto horizontal position and rice versa at selected points.

2. In a Windmill, a stationary support having a bearing therein, amember rotatably mounted upon the support and having' an extensionextending through said bearing7 said rotatable member being formed inits periphery with a cam-groove and carrying a rudder, a hub memberenga-ged upon said rotatable member and recessed for the accommodationthereof, said hub member having a depending Central portion rotatableaxially through the rotatable member, a plurality of shafts journaledthrough said hub member' radially thereof, blades on the outer ends ofsaid shafts, and cams on the inner ends of said shafts engaged Withinsaid cam groove.

ln testimony whereof I alhx my signa ture.

CLAUDE WATSON.

